Mechanism for removing pins and balls from bowling alley pits



Sept. 27, 1955 K. c. SHERMAN 2,719,039

MECHANISM FOR REMOVING PINS AND BALLS FROM BOWLING ALLEY PITS Filed Nov. 10, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 27, 1955 K. c. SHERMAN 2,719,039

MECHANISM FOR REMOVING PINS AND BALLS FROM BOWLING ALLEY FITS Filed NOV. 10, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :1 MW W, I

United States Patent MECHANISM FOR REMOVING PINS AND BALLS FROM BOWLING ALLEY PITS Kenneth C. Sherman, Marblehead, Mass., assignor to General Dynamics Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 10, 1952, Serial No. 319,651

9 Claims. (Cl. 27343) This invention relates to mechanism for removing pins and balls from bowling alley pits and delivering such pins and balls to apparatus by which they are sorted, the balls being returned to the forward end of the alley, the pins being mechanically reset on the alley. An object of the invention is to provide mechanism for the stated purpose which is simple, rapid and reliable. Such mechanism is particularly intended for use with automatic pin-setting apparatus such, for example, as is described and illustrated in Patent No. 2, 580,853, granted to me on January l, 1952. According to the present invention, the pit is provided with a false floor which is tilted to dump the pins and balls into a relatively narrow elevator. The elevator lifts them and then dumps them into sorting apparatus. This arrangement provides considerable extra space for the pin-setting machinery. For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawings, of which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the rear portion of a bowling alley and a pit with mechanism embodying the invention installed therein;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 44 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of hinge elements connectingthe parts of the dumping floor; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the alley pit, showing the dumping floor in various positions of operation.

Figure l of the drawing shows the rear end portion 10 of a bowling alley behind which is the usual pit having a floor 14. A sweeper blade is indicated, such a blade being usually a part of a pin-setting machine with mechanism (not shown) to operate it after each ball is thrown to clear the alley of any dead wood which may be thereon. Over the floor 14 is a' false floor 16, here inafter referred to as the dumping floor, this floor being transversely divided to form a forward part 18 and a rear part 20 which are joined by hinge means 22. The parts 18 and 20 of the dumping floor are made chiefly of wood with a top layer 23 of rubber thereon to protect the bowling balls. The rear part 20 of the dumping floor is hinged at its rear margin by a hinge means 24 to the floor 14 of the pit so that the dumping floor can be rocked upward and rearward as a unit but is articulated at or near its transverse median so as to permit the forward part 18 to rock forward with respect to the rear part 20.

The hinge means 22 which connects the forward and rear parts of the dumping floor is illustrated in some detail in Figure 5 and consists of two castings 26 and 28, each of which has a tubular portion 30 with a leaf 32 extending tangentially therefrom. Each leaf has a shoulder 34, these shoulders being arranged to abut each other to stop rearward rocking of the part 18 relative to the rear part 20 of the dumping floor when the two parts form a "ice shallow V as indicated in broken lines in Figure 6. A hinge pin 36 extends through the tubular portions of the hinge members 26 and 28 and is secured to the member 26 by suitable means such as a set screw 38. The hinge pin 36 has a portion 40 which projects out beyond the side edge of the dumping floor to act as a latching lug and is approximately semi-cylindrical in shape, having a fiat face 44 for a purpose hereinafter explained. The hinge elements shown in Figure 5 are used at one side edge of the dumping floor, similar means being mounted at the other side edge of the dumping floor.

The hinge means by which the rear part 20 of the dumping floor is mounted on the pit floor 14, is illustrated in Figure 4 and comprises a transverse shaft 46 on which is rotatably fitted a collar 48 under each side margin of the part 20. Each collar is surrounded by a casting 50 to which the collar 48 is secured by a set screw 52. The castings 50 are welded or otherwise permanently secured to angle irons 54 which extend along the sides of and are part of the rear part 20 of the dumping floor. End portions of the shaft 46 project beyond the side edges of the dumping floor and are received in notches 56 in blocks 58. The ends of the shaft 46 are tightly secured in the notches 56 by means of set screws 60 threaded through the blocks 58. One such block is shown in Figure 4, the other being at the opposite side of the dumping floor.

To the rear of the dumping floor is an elevator 64 which extends the full width of the alley and is in a position to receive the balls and pins which are dumped from the dumping floor. To the elevator are attached hoisting cables 68 and guide wheels 70 which run in vertical guide rails 72.

Between the dumping floor and the elevator is a vertical transverse wall 74 which extends upward nearly to the top of the elevator shaft. At its lower end the wall 74 terminates at 76 above the floor of the pit, leaving an aperture 78 which has a shape and area similar to those of the rear part 20 of the dumping floor. When the dumping floor is rocked upward as hereinafter described, the rear part 20 swings through an angle of approximately 90 to a vertical position in which it is in the plane of the wall 74 and completely fills the aperture 78 so as to be virtually a continuation of the wall. This prevents the balls and pins which have been dumped into the elevator from falling out when the elevator is hoisted.

Hoisting means are provided to rock the dumping floor up and back to dump the pins and balls thereon by gravity into the elevator 64. Such means comprise a pair of cables 80 each of which is attached to the rear end of a corresponding lever 82 extending along the adjacent side of the dumping floor. Each lever 82 is pivotally attached as at 84 to the corresponding side edge of the forward part 18 of the dumping floor, the pivot pins 84 being substantially spaced from the forward ends 86 of the levers 82. A roller 88 may be mounted on the forward end of each lever 82. The cables 80 are wound on a suitable drum 90 and the cables 68 for hoisting the elevator are wound on a drum 92. These drums are intermittently rotated by a suitable motor 94 through driving connections which are illustrated in part in Figure 1 and which are controlled by electrically operated clutches (not shown). A suitable back-stop (not shown) is suspended just forward of the cables 80 and is drawn up out of the way whenever the dumping floor is rocked.

The operation of the dumping floor is as follows: When the drum 90 is operatively connected to the motor 94 by actuation of the proper clutch, the cables 80 are drawn up, elevating the rear ends of the levers 82. The forward ends of the levers bear on the pit floor and act as fulcrums to cause the forward part 18 of the dumping floor to rock upward about its hinges 22 until the shoulders 34 meet. Thereafter the dumping floor is rocked as a unit about the hinge 24, several successive positions of the dumping floor and elevating levers being illustrated by broken lines in Figure 6. When the levers 82 become nearly perpendicular to the plane of the forward part 18 of the dumping floor, further rocking movement of the levers about the pivots 84 is prevented by stop elements 96. As the dumping floor is further rocked by the hoisting cables 80, the floor breaks, the forward part 18 rocking in a forward direction with respect to the rear part 20 as the latter continues to swing toward its vertical position in the plane of the wall 74. As the dumping floor tilts during the initial portion of its rocking movement the balls and pins thereon roll or slide through the aperture 78 and into the elevator 64. At the end of this hoisting operation, the rear part 20 of the dumping floor reaches its vertical position and closes the aperture 78. In order to hold the rear part 20 locked in its vertical position during the hoisting of the elevator 64, a spring pressed latch element 98 is mounted at each side edge of the wall 74 to catch and hold the projecting lugs 40 which are parts of the hinge pins 36. The flat face 44 of each lug 40 is angularly adjusted with respect to the forward part 18 of the dumping floor so that when the forward part is suificiently elevated or rocked to have a rearward slope, the flat faces 44 of the lugs will be the horizontal. As the rear part 20 of the dumping floor moves into its vertical position the lugs 40 engage a sloping surface 100 on the lower end of each of the latch members 98 and thus cam the members 98 upward until the lugs 40 pass beyond these lower ends and are caught behind them as illustrated in Figure 6. This positively locks the rear part 20 of the dumping floor in its vertical position.

When the elevator has been hoisted above the level of the edge 76, the dumping floor is thereupon lowered to its normal position above the floor of the pit. This is done by allowing the drum 9%) to rotate in the reverse direction, rapidly lowering the levers 82 and the dumping floor attached thereto. As the levers are lowered, the forward part 18 of the dumping floor swings down thus presenting the fiat faces 44 of the lugs 40 to the lower ends of the latch members 98. The weight of the forward part 18 of the floor imposes a torque on the rear part 20 causing the flat faces 44 to cam the latch members 98 upward, thus releasing the rear part 20 and allowing it to swing forward and downward. The dumping floor then swings downward until the forward edge of the forward part 18 engages the pit floor 14. This forward edge is preferably rounded as indicated at 102 so as to slide easily on the pit floor and to scoop up any pin or ball which may possibly have gotten into the pit while the dumping floor was elevated. The parts of the floor straighten out and quickly resume their normal position in a common plane and the levers 82 resume their position along the side edges of the dumping floor.

I claim:

1. In a bowling alley pit, a dumping floor transversely divided into two parts, hinge means connecting said two parts, other hinge means rockably connecting said dumping floor at its rear margin to the pit, and means for swinging said dumping floor as a whole upward about said other hinge means to a predetermined angle of inclination and thereafter reversing the direction of swing of the forward part only of the floor while the rear part continues its rearward swing.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, and an elevator behind said dumping floor to receive balls and pins therefrom when said dumping floor is rocked upward about said other hinge means.

3. In a bowling alley pit, a dumping floor transversely divided into two parts, hinge means connecting said parts, other hinge means at the rear margin of said dumping fioor connecting it to the pit, an elevator immediately behind said dumping floor, means for swinging said dumping floor as a unit about said other hinge means to tilt it toward said elevator and for thereafter reversing the direction of swing of the forward part only as the rearward part continues its swing to the vertical position.

4. In a bowling alley pit, a dumping floor transversely divided into forward and rear parts, hinge means connecting said parts, stop means limiting rearward rocking movement of the forward part relative to the rear part, other hinge means connecting the rear margin of said rear part to the pit for rearward rocking movement to a vertical position, and hoisting means attached to said foreward part and operable to rock said dumping floor initially as a unit about said other hinge means through a predetermined angle and thereafter to rock the forward part forward with respect to the rear part while the rear part continues its rearward rocking movement to said position.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4, said means including a lever extending along each side edge of said dumping floor, each said lever being pivotally attached to the adjacent side edge of the forward part of said dumping floor at a point spaced from the forward end of said lever, and a cable attached to the rear end of each said lever and leading upward.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5, and stop means on said dumping floor limiting the rocking movement of each said lever relative to the forward part of the dumping floor from the normal position along side the dumping floor to a position approximately at right angles to the said forward part of the dumping floor.

'7. Apparatus as in claim 5, and latch means operating when the rear part of the dumping floor reaches its vertical position to lock said rear part in said vertical position and to release said rear part when the forward part rocks forward to a predetermined angle of inclination.

8. In a bowling alley pit, a dumping floor transversely divided into forward and rear parts, hinge means connecting said parts for relative rocking movement, other hinge means connecting the rear margin of said rear part to said pit for rocking movement of said rear part from an approximately horizontal position to vertical position, a vertical wall at the rear of said dumping floor, said wall having an aperture which is filled by said rear part of the dumping floor when said rear part is in its vertical position, an elevator located behind said dumping floor in position to receive therefrom through said aperture pins and balls in the pit, and means operable to swing said dumping floor upward to dump pins and balls into said elevator and to close said aperture.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8, and cooperating latch means on said wall and dumping floor for locking said rear part of the floor in its vertical position in said aperture, said latch means including cam elements constructed and arranged to release said rear part of the dumping floor when the forward part rocks forward to a pedetermined angular position in which it slopes forward and downward.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,627,414 Schafier May 3, 1927 2,293,965 Berg Aug. 25, 1942 2,388,707 Rundell Nov. 13, 1945 2,620,187 Whipple et a1. Dec. 2. 1959. 

